22 Creepy Things to do for Halloween in Seattle in 2025

Seattle is a city that was basically built for Halloween. Maybe it’s all the rain and gloom we’re used to or the incredibly dark history, from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 that devastated an entire neighborhood, to its unfortunate reputation as home to some notorious criminals. Either way, if you visit during the month of October, prepare for all the spooky vibes!

You will find everything from spooky pub crawls to haunted houses and even a massive Halloween themed music festival! Seattle truly goes all out, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best cities to spend Halloween.

Looking for more Washington State Travel Tips? Check out these articles!

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11 Epic Things to Do On Whidbey Island, Washington: A Perfect Weekend Getaway
14 Beautiful Mt Rainier Tours from Seattle
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17 Mouthwatering Pike Place Market Food Tours
32 Magical Things to do For Christmas in Seattle

Things to do for Halloween in Seattle

Attend a Huge Halloween Beer Festival

Great Pumpkin Beer Festival | Dates: October 3rd and 4th | Where: Elysian Capitol Hill Brewery

I had the best time attending this Halloween beer festival. I went alone, mainly because they sold out super quickly, and I didn’t get a chance to tell anyone, so first things first, get those tickets early! Second of all, prepare to drink a lot. They have over 80 seasonal beers and ciders to try, and many of them won’t be available in stores. They are festival exclusive, so try as many as you can without getting carried out of the festival grounds.

When you enter the festival you will receive an adorable glass with a jack o lantern face painted on the front. I ate a ton before attending the festival with the hopes that I wouldn’t get drunk quickly, and my plan failed! I had to get food there, but they have tons of food trucks on site, so I ended up getting some mac n cheese dumplings and amazing Texas BBQ.

In the evening, there was a giant pumpkin that was cut open and filled with beer that was then passed out to festival attendees, and they had a live bands playing. For some reason, people were holding giant corn husks, so since I wanted to fit in, I grabbed one too and danced the night away. It was so much fun!

The ticket is $40 for.one day or $100 for both and includes 5 drink tokens, but you can purchase more. They also have a designated driver ticket for $5.

Take a Spooky Pub Crawl

Crawl with Us | Dates: Oct 31st and Nov 1st

I have done a few pub crawls with Crawl with Us who hosts themed pub crawls in cities all over the world, and they are always a lot of fun. Unlike the majority of pub crawls where you have a guide that takes you from bar to bar, this pub crawl is self-guided. Once you check in at the first bar, you are free to check out whatever bars you want (as long as they are on the pub crawl map).

Each bar on the map will have their own drink specials, and some drinks are even themed. I did this pub crawl alone and met some great people, so if you happen to be riding solo, you can still have fun! There was a total of 9 bars, including a couple of dance spots.

Seattle Booze and Boos Tour

This pub takes place around Pike Place Market, which happens to be one of Seattle’s most haunted neighborhoods, with several spooky bars clustered together.

We met our costumed guide at Pike Brewing Company to start the tour. The whole experience lasts about 2.5 hours and covers roughly three different bars. You’ll spend around 30-45 minutes at each spot, which gives you just enough time to grab a drink and listen to all the creepy stories.

The tour doesn’t follow the exact same route every night, so the specific bars can vary. But to give you an idea of what you’re in for, one of the regular stops used to be a mortuary.

Get Spooked at a Haunted House

Georgetown Morgue | Address: 5000 E Marginal Wy S, Seattle, WA 98134

Georgetown Morgue is a place with an incredibly gruesome past. Not only did it used to be a morgue, but in 1968 during a business meeting 2 armed suspects entered the building and forced everyone in attendance into the crematorium including all employees. There were no survivors and the suspects were never captured. There has been a lot of speculation as to why this went down, and many people believe the owners of the morgue owed money or just went into business with the wrong people.

It went down as one of the most gruesome murders in Seattle history at that time, and now it is a haunted house, and I must say it’s very well done. Wear your running shoes because you may need them. It was terrifying!

Nile Nightmares Haunted House | Address: 6601 244th St SW, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043

This haunted house isn’t in Seattle, but it’s close enough, so I am mentioning it. This one was a bit more low-key than Georgetown, but still scary. There were about 5 different sections to the haunted house both inside and outside, and I ended up befriending a couple because well…I was alone. The actors entertained us while we waited in line. This haunted house is located about a 30-minute drive from Seattle in Mountlake Terrace.

Frighthouse | Address: 626 E 25th St, Tacoma, WA 98421

Frighthouse Station is located in an old train depot that’s been turned into a market area, but during Halloween season, it becomes “Frighthouse” Square.

The whole thing is set up in this massive basement space, about 14,000 square feet of pure terror, and to make matters worse…or better is that the basement supposedly served as a temporary morgue during World War II,

Every year, they create a storyline that ties everything together, and they change the theme every year. Last time I went, the theme was “In the Ocean” and they had a TV theme in 2024 about nightmares cycling through different channels.

The experience is pretty intense and not for the faint of heart. As you go through, you’ll be squeezing through tight corridors, navigating pitch black sections, strobe lights, and fog machines. There are 30+ different rooms, and takes about 45 minutes to walk though.

They run it throughout October on weekends mostly, and they also have toned-down family nights if you want the experience of it without completely traumatizing the kids.

Dance the Night Away at a Halloween Music Festival

Boo Seattle | Address: 800 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

BOO Seattle is a massive Halloween electronic music festival that happens every year at WAMU Theater over Halloween weekend. I went a few years ago and had so much fun.  There were multiple stages pumping out house, dubstep, & trap music and the stage setups or wild! They also bring in carnival-style rides, and there are loads of treats including signature cocktails to keep your energy going, plus a candy making machine!

Boo is put on by Insomniac Events, the same company behind Electric Daisy Carnival, so you know it’s going to be good. It runs Friday and Saturday of Halloween weekend (October 31st and November 1st this year), and you have to be 18 or older to get in.

Attend Pumpkinsutra: The Sexiest Halloween in Event in Seattle

Pumpkinsutra | Address: 1000 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134

If you are in the mood for something spooky and risqué, you will want to check out Pumpkinsutra. This 18+ event, has burlesque performances, cocktail booths (included with the ticket), and the largest collection of, let’s just say, intricately carved and explicit pumpkins.

As you move room to room, you will come face to face with a colorful wall of “protective gear”, a makeshift video store with parody titles of some of the best horror movies, and well, I don’t want to ruin the rest!

Unfortunately, the photos I did take are too risqué for this blog, so you can let your imagination wander or check it out for yourself!

Tickets start at $64 for general admission and go up to $104 for an all access pass. I got the all access pass, which included access to a burlesque show upstairs which was definitely worth the extra cost.

Listen to Some Hauntingly Beautiful Music Surrounded by Candlelight

Halloween Candlelight Concerts

Candlelight concerts are beautiful musical performances put on by a local string quartet. They are generally held in beautifully eerie locations with great acoustics and the room is very dark except for the faint glow of hundreds of candles (fake ones, of course!). These concerts happen year round with different themes, but during Halloween they have a classic creepy set of songs that you are sure to recognize.

A few of the songs you’ll hear are, Addams Family, Ghostbusters, and the themes from Halloween & Psycho.

Get in the Halloween Spirit at a Burlesque Show

This is Halloween 

This is Halloween is a sexy and scandalous take on Nightmare Before Christmas. The show follows Jack Skelllington, who you may know, as the determined protagonist who is on a mission to find out what Christmas is really about, even if that means kidnapping Santa in the process. The show follows the same story, except this is the PG-13 version.

You will see an array of sexy dancers, some stripping, but I don’t want to give too much away. This show was fantastic and everyone in the audience had a great time! My gut hurt my laughing so much. It is a dinner show, which is my favorite kind of show, so be prepared to order some good food and drinks.

They do have shows for all ages at 5pm on Sundays, so you can enjoy at PG version with the kiddos.

Hitchcock Hotel

The Can Can is one of my favorite cabaret companies. They put on incredible performances that you can enjoy while indulging in some top-notch food. Sept-Nov they put on Hitchcock Hotel. Think of this show like checking into the world’s creepiest, but also sexiest, hotel for the night.

It kind of reminds me of a play on Rock Horror Picture Show. The audience are guests at an old, run-down and haunted hotel where the spirits of former guests are still hanging around. You get “checked in” by the hotel porter, who guides you through the whole evening.

It’s a fun night with dancing, singing, live music, burlesque performances, and so many cool visuals. The performers interact with the audience, so prepare to dance, sing and chant the night away.

Tour a Chocolate Factory with a Haunted Twist

Seattle Chocolate Factory Haunted Tour | Address: 1180 Andover Park W, Seattle, WA 98188

If you love chocolate, this is a haunted event you won’t want to miss. Not only do they make amazing chocolate (including a ton of seasonal flavors) but they also host a haunted escape room every year! This Halloween escape room centers around a character named Greg Glitter, who leads guests through a quest to find special chocolate on a haunted planet.

You have to solve puzzles and work your way through different challenges to reach the end. The entire tour takes about an hour and if you complete everything, you will walk away with some sweet treats!

They run it on weekends plus Thursdays throughout October.

Drink Ghoulish Cocktails at a Spooky Bar

Little Halloween Bar at Edgewater | Address: 2411 Alaskan Wy, Seattle, WA 98121

The Edgewater is probably one of the most famous hotels in Seattle. It’s had guests such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones. During October, they have a fantastic Halloween pop up bar called “Ravenedge Manor” on the second floor.

They have a great cocktail menu with themed drinks like, “Corpse Reviver No. Blue,” “Ghost of Halekulani,” “Blood Orange Rum Punch,” and shots like “Pumpkin Spice” and “Bloody Maria.” They also serve Halloween-themed bites. I got a fondue served in an acorn squash with pretzel bread served in a coffin.

It is open Thursday through Sunday evenings from 5pm to 11pm throughout October and into early November. I am not sure if they do reservations. I walked in and it was a very long wait. I even arrived 30 minutes after opening, but it is worth reaching out to them to ask or plan to arrive right at opening.

Also keep in mind that they have standing only tables by the bar and if you are 4 or less, you may be put there, so if that is something you don’t want, make sure you let them know!

Nightmare on Wall Street at Navy Strength | Address: 2505 2nd Ave #102, Seattle, WA 98121

Navy Strength is a wonderful Tiki Bar in Belltown, but come Halloween season, they completely transform into “Nightmare on Wall Street”. The cocktail menu is inspired by classic and modern horror films.

They’ve got horror movie soundtracks pumping, spooky decorations, and the staff also occasionally dress up. They have drinks inspired by movies such as “Carrie” (called “Telekinetic Energy” with aged rum, cherry, and it is served with fire), “Hereditary” (“Family Secrets” with bourbon and spiced cranberry), “Midsommar,” “The Babadook,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Chucky” and many more.  They even use ingredients like “candy corn orgeat”.

When I am back in Seattle during Halloween, I always come to this bar. It runs Tuesday through Saturday from 4pm to midnight throughout October, and you don’t need reservations unless you’ve got a big group. I have never had to wait for a table.

Black Lagoon at Roby Roy | Address: 2332 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Black Lagoon is such a fun Halloween bar! They deck the place out with dungeon-like decorations, giant spiders crawling on the walls, hands hanging in the windows, and moody lighting.

They have an interesting menu of spooky drinks with names like “Hellfire Fizz,” “Siren’s Song,” “Hex Appeal,” and “Nightmare Fuel”, and many of the drinks are served in really cool glasses, Like Siren’s Song that’s served in a haunted Mermaid glass.

Black Lagoon is open in October (and a bit into November), from 4pm to 2am every day, though fair warning, it can get pretty packed.

Tour or See a Show at Seattle’s Oldest and Most Haunted Theater

Moore Theater | Address: 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98101

The Moore Theater is considered by many to be the most haunted place in the entire city, and based on the fascinating, yet creepy history it makes sense.

The Moore Theater opened in 1907, making it Seattle’s oldest entertainment venue. It was built by developer James Moore and designed by E.W. Houghton. The theater was apparently built on or very near a Native American burial ground.

When the theater was constructed, grave robbers flocked to the area to loot whatever graves they could find, disturbing many burial sites in the process.
In the 1970s when the theater was functioning as a movie cinema, the owners, Darrel MacDonald and Dan Ireland, came into the building one night and found some of their employees conducting a séance in the auditorium.

The owners were furious and fired everyone on the spot. They interrupted the séance before it could be properly ended. According to paranormal believers, this left a spiritual “portal” open that has never been closed, allowing spirits to come and go freely.

The experiences people report at the Moore are pretty intense. Visitors and staff consistently describe phantom cigar smoke that wafts through the theater with no identifiable source, disembodied voices singing from invisible performers, and sudden eruptions of applause from completely empty balconies.

People also report shadowy figures racing across rooms and down aisles, disappearing the moment you try to focus on them. There’s this constant feeling of being watched, especially in the basement and crawl spaces under the stage, and many people experience the unsettling sensation of someone breathing on their neck when they’re completely alone.

Objects move on their own, lights flicker mysteriously, and there are frequent reports of hearing something being dragged across the stage followed by footsteps, though no one is ever seen.

The theater is believed to be haunted by several spirits. Many think former female actresses who used to perform on the stage still linger there. Some believe James Moore himself, refuses to leave his seat and continues to oversee his theater.

The Moore’s haunted reputation got a huge boost when SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters” team came to investigate. Interestingly, while they couldn’t substantiate the paranormal claims with their equipment, many team members reported having personal paranormal experiences during their visit.

Today, the theater still operates, and staff continue to report strange experiences. Some employees swear by the hauntings, while others say they’ve never experienced anything unusual. There’s also a persistent local rumor that Kurt Cobain actually died at the Moore Theater rather than at his home, though official reports contradict this.

I recommend catching a show at the Moore Theater and see if you feel any uneasiness yourself, or tour the theater, which is a free tour on the 2nd Saturday of every month, but make sure you RSVP for the tour!

Learn About Seattle’s Gruesome Past on a True Crime Tour

Private Eye Tours

Seattle is home to a few infamous serial killers, you may recognize such as Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgeway (The Green River Killer), so what better way to explore the spooky side of Seattle than on a True Crime Tour.

My favorite company is Private Eye Tours. They’ve been running since 1997, originally founded by Windsor Olson, a private investigator. The current owner/operator is Jake Jacobson, who took over the business and has been doing this for over a decade, and she is the only one who conducts the tours.

I have done her Queen Anne and Capitol Hill tour, and both of them had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Jake was such an incredible storyteller, You not only visit the sites of infamous murders, but also arsons and burglaries. Each tour last about 4 hours, and you will be driving around in a van, getting out occasionally to get photos.

Here is a breakdown of what you will expect on each tour:

Queen Anne True Crime Tour

Queen Anne is one of my favorite areas in Seattle. It’s a gorgeous, architecturally stunning area many tourists don’t visit. It doesn’t look like a place you would expect gruesome crimes to take place (or maybe it does). Queen Anne has some infamous crime stories hiding behind those beautiful homes.

You will visit several locations, including a stately home on Bigelow Avenue where Geneva MacDonald, a legal secretary, was brutally killed with an axe in 1990. She lived in a beautiful house overlooking the city. You will also visit sites in Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District. One of the stops is the former gambling club where the Wah Mee Massacre happened.

It’s a brick building with chained and padlocked doors that haven’t been opened in 30 years. Thirteen people were killed there in what remains the nation’s worst robbery-massacre.

My favorite story was the Soy Sauce Murder Mystery, but I don’t want to give too much away!

Capitol Hill

This tour hits some of Seattle’s most notorious crime sites, especially those connected to the music scene. You will visit spots including: Kurt Cobain’s House where he died by suicide in 1994, and you will learn about the gruesome murder of The Goldmark Family, and no true crime tour in Seattle is complete without some mention of Ted Bundy. That being said, you will visit his former boarding house, and the place where he picked up his first victim.

Take a Scenic Fall Train Ride

Snoqualmie Halloween Train

If you’re looking for a magical way to experience fall in the Pacific Northwest, this vintage train ride from Snoqualmie is absolutely incredible, and definitely worth the 45-minute drive from Seattle. You’ll be traveling on beautifully restored cars that date back to 1915, operated by the Northwest Railway Museum.

The Halloween trains run during the last three weekends of October, but they sell out months in advance, so you’ll want to snag your tickets as soon as they go on sale.

You can board at either the Snoqualmie Depot or North Bend Depot for an amazing 2-hour journey through the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. The route follows 5.5 miles of the original 1880s Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway line, taking you west toward the breathtaking Snoqualmie Falls.

About halfway through the trip, you’ll stop for 30 minutes at the Railway History Campus, where you can explore fascinating railroad artifacts and exhibits. Then it’s back aboard for the return trip to your starting depot.

This is one of my favorite activities during fall. The fall foliage alone is worth the trip!

Catch Horror Films at Seattle’s Hauntingly Beautiful Egyptian Theatre

Egyptian Theater | Address: 805 E Pine St, Seattle, WA 98122

The Egyptian Theatre is one of Seattle’s four independent movie theaters owned by Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). Every October, they host “Scarecrow Bar”, a fantastic horror film series featuring 16 movies that range from beloved classics to wonderfully weird cult films.

Their lineup has included “Halloween,” “Christine,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “Opera,” and the original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” alongside fascinating deep cuts like “Eyes Without a Face” and “HauntedWeen.”

I caught a screening of Friday the 13th. You don’t realize how silly some of these old horror movies are until you are in a theater with 50 people collectively laughing and jumping at every scare.

Tickets typically run around $15.50 each, but if you’re planning to catch multiple films, you can snag a series pass for $75-100 that gets you into all the October horror screenings. Also, half of all ticket proceeds go directly to supporting Scarecrow Video, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving physical media and film history.

Important update: The Egyptian is currently closed due to major pipe damage that happened in November 2024, and they expect to be closed through the end of 2025 while repairs continue. So it will be taking place at Uptown SIFF instead.

Mingle with Vampires at a Spooky Cocktail Soirée

Vampire Soirée | Dates: Sept 26th – Nov 1st

Welcome to Vampire Soiree, an exclusive haunted cocktail soirée! This event is put on every October. It’s a chance for you to dress up in costume or wear your fanciest cocktail attire, and explore the elegant, spooky mansion the party is held at. You will be there for two hours and get a chance to try several miniature spooky concoctions (included with your ticket)

As you wander through the mansion, you will be following a storyline where you follow clues and play games. There will also be lots of activities to keep you busy like a cabaret show, tarot card readings, magic shows, and much more!

I went last year, but this year’s theme is different, so I am not sure what to expect!

See a Hilarious Halloween Inspired Improv Show

Unexpected Productions | Address: 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101

Unexpected Productions is a cute little improv theater located next to the Gum Wall in Pike Place Market. They put on a variety of hilarious shows, mainly consisting of audiences input. They ask the audience for words relating to certain themes, and then will create a show around those words or themes. During Halloween, they have a few shows running.

“Poe Unexpected” has been running for over a decade. At the start of each show, the audience learns about “lost tales” discovered in Edgar Allan Poe’s attic, stories he never told and will never tell again. An actor portraying Edgar Allan Poe takes the stage and gathers suggestions from the audience, which then become the foundation for the show. It’s funny, spooky and an all around great time.

They are also doing a Rocky Horror Picture Improv Show and The Haunting: An Improvised Horror Gothic Show. Both shows look great!

Dine With Ghosts at a Haunted Restaurant

Kell’s | Address: 1916 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101

Many people consider Kells’s the most haunted place in Seattle. The pub is located in the basement of the historic Butterworth Building, which was constructed in 1903 as a mortuary.

It was commissioned by Edgar R. Butterworth, a former mayor of Centralia who became an undertaker, to handle the rapidly increasing number of deaths from disease epidemics that were sweeping through Seattle at the time.

The building featured the first elevator on the West Coast, which was used specifically to transport bodies between floors. and different floors housed showrooms for coffins and burial garments, consultation rooms for grieving families, private offices, embalming rooms, an ornate chapel that could hold up to 200 people, and fireproof vaults where bodies could be stored indefinitely for families who were “undecided as to the disposition of the dead.”

But the Butterworth mortuary wasn’t just dealing with deaths. There are some dark allegations about what went on there. Some of the bodies that came through the mortuary were patients of a notorious doctor named Linda Hazard, who was known for starving her patients as a form of “treatment.”

There were also rumors that coffins were sometimes buried empty because the bodies had been sold for profit, and various other questionable and corrupt practices.

The most famous ghost at Kells is a spirit known as “Charlie,” who appears in a specific mirror that hangs on the wood-paneled wall just around the corner from the bar. Dozens, maybe hundreds, of people over the years have reported seeing the reflection of a happy-looking, middle-aged man wearing a derby hat, usually smiling from the top right corner of the mirror.

But when people turn around to see who’s behind them, there’s no one there. The current owner, Patrick McAleese, has shown photographs taken during renovations that appear to show a face in that exact spot. Staff members have countless stories of customers asking about the friendly man in the mirror who then vanishes when they try to look directly at him.

The other main spirit is a mischievous little girl with striking red hair who seems particularly interested in interacting with children who visit the pub during the daytime. She’s been seen playing pranks on adults, manipulating objects, and even creating toys for young visitors. Many believe she could be one of the countless children who died during the 1918 flu pandemic and passed through the mortuary.

Patrick’s own daughter, when she was just two years old, would repeatedly go to the same set of stairs and talk to someone who wasn’t visible to anyone else. On Thanksgiving 2005, Patrick was having a drink with two friends when they asked him about the red-headed woman they could see in the kitchen, but when they all went to check, there was nobody there.

Glasses regularly slide off tables and bars with no apparent cause, mirrors shatter spontaneously, and plaster falls from the walls with disturbing frequency.

Kells has been featured on multiple paranormal investigation shows, including an episode of “Ghost Adventures” where Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, and Nick Groff captured EVP recordings of voices saying things like “get us hazard,” “get me outta here,” and “do something quicker.” They also photographed what appeared to be a disfigured apparition of a young child sitting on the steps.

Kell’s is a great spot in the Pike Place Market area to grab a drink and food.  I personally haven’t had any spooky experiences, but that is not to say you won’t. You never know what may be lurking.

Merchant Cafe and Saloon | Address: 109 Yesler Wy, Seattle, WA 98104

Merchant’s was built in 1890 right after the Great Seattle Fire, making it one of Seattle’s oldest operating restaurants at its original location, and possibly one of the oldest on the West Coast. But it wasn’t just a restaurant and saloon. Over the years, it also served as a boarding house, a brothel, and even had a bank operating inside at one point.

The most famous ghost at Merchant’s is known as “the lady of the night”, one of the women who worked in the upstairs brothel. The brothel operated under the clever guise of hiring women as “seamstresses,” and clients would choose which “seamstress” they wanted by selecting from portraits that hung around the bar. The spirits of these women apparently never left, and those portraits are said to move on their own.

Staff and customers regularly report seeing female apparitions throughout the building, particularly in the basement restrooms, where a woman’s ghost whispers into men’s ears and causes doors to open and close mysteriously.

One of the most chilling stories involves two children who haunt the basement, a little girl and boy who died in a devastating fire that struck Merchant’s in 1938. Employees and visitors consistently report seeing small shadowy figures lurking about and playing pranks on the staff. These child spirits seem to be particularly active in the downstairs areas, and many people have heard the sound of children laughing when no children are present in the building.

There’s also the ghost of a man with a burnt face and charred clothing who appears throughout different parts of the building. He’s believed to be another victim of that 1938 fire. Witnesses describe him as looking like he’s still burning or recently escaped from flames.

But perhaps the most famous paranormal feature at Merchant’s is the “Oriental Dancing Girl” painting by Nathaldi Siehel that hangs on the far back wall. This painting has a creepy reputation. It supposedly revealed its ghostly nature to the current owners while being photographed, and people report that the figure in the painting sometimes appears to move or watch them. The painting has become something of a focal point for supernatural activity in the café.

Wine bottles regularly rearrange themselves behind the bar, glasses move on their own, and staff frequently experience the sensation of someone tugging on their shirts or touching them when no one is there. Faucets turn on by themselves in the restrooms, doors slam shut, and objects move around mysteriously.

At Merchants, the staff keeps a binder filled with photographs and handwritten accounts documenting decades of unexplained occurrences. They’ve embraced their supernatural residents rather than trying to hide from them, and lead bartender Michael Harris, who grew up in the neighborhood, openly acknowledges that the place is “definitely haunted, like 100%.” His philosophy is that “the more you talk about them, the more you remember them, the more they like you.”

The café has been featured on numerous paranormal investigation TV shows, including “The Dead Files” and “When Ghosts Attack,” and it’s been named one of the most haunted locations in America.

Merchants are located in what used to be the roughest neighborhood in the city, full of gunslingers, corrupt lawmen, constant brawls, shootouts, and murders as gangsters and cops fought for control. The saloon catered to gold prospectors, loggers, and sailors passing through on their way north, and it witnessed countless tragedies, and violent deaths.

Merchants is definitely one of the coolest places to grab a drink in Seattle. I would say the food isn’t great, but the beer is! They also have live music on the weekends. Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana played here before they were famous!

The Pine Box | Address: 1600 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

The Pine Box has one of the most fascinating and genuinely eerie backstories of any restaurant in Seattle. The building was constructed in 1923 as an expansion for the E.R. Butterworth & Sons Family Funeral Business, which already operated in what is now Kell’s restaurant.

This funeral home was among the first in the area to offer full-service death care, complete with ornate caskets, silk linings, body preparation, and floral arrangements. For nearly 80 years, from the 1920s until the early 2000s, this building had thousands of funerals.

The most famous of those happened in July 1973, when Bruce Lee’s funeral service took place in what is now The Pine Box’s main dining area. Unlike his public Hong Kong service, this Seattle ceremony was private, attended only by close family and friends.

The current owners have preserved reminders of the funeral home. When you sit down for a beer, you’re likely sitting on original church pews from the funeral chapel, and your drink rests on tables crafted from cabinets that once stored funeral supplies in the basement.

The drinks also are on theme spooky names such as House of the Dead and Dragons Deep Darkness, and if you are hungry they have decent pizzas!

Il Bistro | Address: 93 Pike St A, Seattle, WA 98101

If you’re wandering around Pike Place Market looking for a good ghost story, you might walk right past one of Seattle’s most haunted spots without even knowing it.

Il Bistro feels haunted even before you know anything about the ghost stories. The ceilings are low, the lighting is dim and golden, and everything feels incredibly old. Plenty of people have mentioned feeling uneasy the moment they walk in.

Staff and customers report seeing “regular apparitions” throughout the restaurant, including “a ghost that lives in a mirror.” Some spirits are described as “playful, materializing behind customers and spooking them,” while others seem to enjoy being troublemakers, “dropping glasses and plates.”

Multiple people have reported “seeing the figure of a shadowy woman with long flowing hair wearing a white dress” both inside the restaurant and in the surrounding area.

Il Bistro has been serving food for over 40 years and honestly, they have incredible Italian food and cocktails. It’s definitely worth a visit if you are in Seattle for Halloween or really anytime of year. After all, ghosts don’t know what time of year it is.

Stay in a Haunted Airbnb

BOOK THIS HAUNTED AIRBNB

As I mentioned above, Merchant’s Café is famous for being the city’s oldest bar and one of its most haunted spots. The upstairs rooms at Merchants historically operated as a brothel in the 1900s, but have now been converted into an Airbnb.

Back when Seattle was a rough frontier town full of lonely gold miners and lumberjacks heading north to Alaska, the owner of Merchant’s Exchange Saloon (as it was called then) figured out there was serious money to be made, so he imported women (discreetly called, ‘seamstresses’) into Seattle and housed them upstairs.

At the back of the saloon were a number of framed paintings of these ‘seamstresses’. It’s reported that this collection was, in essence, the “menu”. The gentleman pointed to the one he wanted to have ‘hem’ his trousers, and then paid the proprietor before making his way upstairs.

If you are looking for a unique, haunted place to sleep for a couple nights, this is it!

Tour Seattle’s Underground City

BOOK A SEATTLE UNDERGROUND TOUR

Seattle’s Underground Tour is hands-down one of the most fascinating attractions in the city. You may be wondering, how did a city get built underground?

Well, the story starts with one of the most catastrophic events in Seattle’s history. On June 6, 1889, a massive fire broke out in downtown Seattle and burned the entire business district to the ground. The blaze began in a cabinet shop and rapidly spread, fueled by strong winds and the abundance of wooden structures. Within hours, it had consumed over 30 blocks.

Instead of just rebuilding at the same level, city planners decided to solve two problems at once. Seattle had always struggled with flooding because of its low elevation, and they were tired of dealing with the sewage and water issues. So they came up with a solution. They would raise the entire street level by about 12 feet and build new sidewalks to connect the second stories of buildings.

Today, you can explore these tunnels on guided tours. As you explore the underground, you’ll see old passageways that were once ground-level windows and doors, old oddities such as toilets and sewing machines, and you’ll learn about the glass skylights. These skylights were installed into sections of the new, higher street level so that the underground wouldn’t be so dark.

But of course, there are ghost stories too, because how could there not be? The Underground is renowned for paranormal spirits thought to be the neighborhood’s notoriously murdered, unrequited souls. The two main haunted hotspots of the Underground are the old bank, and a former brothel called the Oriental Hotel.

People report seeing the ghost of Fred the bank teller, as well as the spectres of gangsters and sex workers in the underground passages. There are stories about the spirit of a sex worker who has also been spotted in and around the tunnels. Quite a few tourists claim to have captured the images of ghosts while taking selfies.

There are two companies that run tours. Bill Speidel Underground which is the original tour and Beneath the Streets which is a newer company. Both companies offer daily tours that run every hour.

Do the Time Warp at a Screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show

GET TICKETS TO ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

The Paramount Theatre is throwing a massive 50th anniversary party for The Rocky Horror Picture Show on October 28th and Barry Bostwick, will be there! I went to this screening last year and was not expecting it to be so wild!

People showed up in corsets and fishnets, they were yelling stuff at the screen, and there was even a costume contest. It’s weird and chaotic and so much fun.

Every single person also got a bag full of props that we could use during the movie. We got rice to throw during the wedding scene, a newspaper to cover our heads during the rainstorm and tons more surprises.

The show starts at 7:30, but doors open at 6:30 so you can get there early and soak it all in. Fair warning though, if this is your first Rocky Horror experience, prepare to feel like you’ve fallen down some kind of glittery, musical rabbit hole. It’s completely bonkers, but a great time.

Stay with Ghostly Friends at a Haunted Hotel

Hotel Ändra | Address: 2000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

Originally built in 1926 as the Claremont Hotel, this 10-story building witnessed Seattle’s wildest prohibition-era days. The ninth floor was particularly notorious for hosting high-class jazz parties where Seattle’s socialites would gather to drink, dance, and carry on well into the night. Nearly a century later, it seems those parties never really ended.

The hotel’s most persistent paranormal activity centers around what guests describe as phantom celebrations on the ninth floor. Hotel patrons regularly report hearing jazz music and party sounds, but when staff investigate, they find the area completely empty. The sounds include loud voices, clinking glasses, and even what sounds like fights breaking out.

In the 1960s, tragedy struck when a female hotel worker fell to her death from the upper floors. Many believe her spirit still roams the building. Guests frequently encounter the apparition of a woman dressed in 1930s-style clothing appearing in their rooms.

The paranormal experiences aren’t limited to the upper floors. In the lobby, guests and staff have witnessed a paperweight suddenly lift itself off a glass table and crash back down with a loud bang.

The Mayflower Park Hotel Seattle | Address: 405 Olive Wy, Seattle, WA 98101

The Mayflower Park Hotel was built in 1927 as the Bergonian Hotel. The developer managed to construct this beauty in just six months, opening ahead of schedule with 240 rooms that were considered the height of luxury for the time.

The grand opening was extravagant with a concert orchestra, dancing, and drinks flowing all night. But from a supernatural standpoint., unlike some of Seattle’s other allegedly haunted hotels that have dramatic histories filled with scandals and tragedies, the Mayflower Park has been refreshingly… well, normal.

No wild parties that ended in bloodshed, no mysterious disappearances, no suicides. It’s been a respectable, well-run establishment for almost a century. Which makes it all the more puzzling that it seems to be home to some very persistent spirits.

The Gentleman of the Sixth Floor is an elderly gentleman who apparently lived and died somewhere on the sixth floor. Nobody knows exactly who he was or when he passed away, but guests have been reporting encounters with him for decades.

This ghostly resident has a rather unsettling habit of watching guests while they sleep. He’s been spotted drifting from room to room.

If you’re feeling brave and want to up your chances of a paranormal encounter, request Room 1120 on the eleventh floor. This is where the hotel’s second known spirit likes to hang out, and unlike his more serious counterpart on the sixth floor, this guy has a sense of humor.

This ghostly resident is known for playing practical jokes on both guests and staff. He’s particularly fond of making mop buckets disappear. One employee found his cleaning supplies had mysteriously relocated to a different floor entirely. He’s also known for making mysterious sounds, and moving objects around.

The hotel actually refers to this spirit as “friendly,” though you might want to ask some of the guests who’ve encountered him whether they’d use the same terminology.

Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or just someone who appreciates a good ghost story, the Mayflower Park Hotel is a unique place to stay in Seattle. The spirits here seem more curious than malicious, more interested in companionship than causing chaos. That being said, if you’re easily startled or prefer your accommodations completely spirit-free, you might want to book elsewhere.

Hotel Sorrento | Address: 900 Madison St, Seattle, WA 98104

Back in 1909, when Seattle was gearing up to host the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, clothing merchant Samuel Rosenberg had a grand vision. He’d made a fortune outfitting gold rush prospectors and figured all those expo visitors would need somewhere spectacular to stay.

Rosenberg hired architect Harlan Thomas, a well-traveled man who’d fallen hard for the Italian coastline. Thomas took one look at Seattle’s hills and harbor views which reminded him of Italy and decided to build the Sorrento hotel, a piece of Italy right in the heart of Seattle.

The hotel was an instant hit with Seattle’s elite and distinguished visitors. This hotel was home to Seattle’s first rooftop restaurant. Back then, you could see clear views of Mount Rainier and Puget Sound.

Now, for the spooky hauntings! The hotel’s most famous resident isn’t someone you’d expect to find haunting a Seattle establishment. Alice B. Toklas was a literary legend. The life partner of writer Gertrude Stein and a fascinating character in her own right. She was part of the bohemian art scene in Paris, hosted salons for famous writers and artists, and yes, she’s the woman who made pot brownies famous through her cookbook.

Alice probably never actually stayed at Hotel Sorrento during her lifetime. She did live in Seattle as a teenager in the 1890s, studying music at the University of Washington, while her family lived somewhere near where the hotel now stands. But they moved back to San Francisco well before the hotel was even built, and Alice spent most of her adult life in Paris, where she eventually died in 1967.

So why is she apparently spending her afterlife wandering the halls of a hotel she never stayed at? Nobody has a clue, but she’s definitely made herself at home.

If you’re hoping to encounter Alice, your best bet is Room 408 on the fourth floor. That seems to be Alice’s favorite spot, though she’s been spotted throughout the building. Guests have reported seeing a figure in flowing white clothing drifting through the hallways, never speaking or interacting, just gliding around.

People regularly report their drinks moving on their own in the hotel’s Dunbar Room. Lights have a tendency to flicker and dim when she’s around.

Staff members sometimes hear piano music drifting from the seventh-floor penthouse when no one’s staying there. Given that Alice was trained as a concert pianist before she became a famous author.

Hotel Sorrento has completely embraced their famous ghost. A few years back, they hosted an entire dinner party in Alice’s honor, complete with recipes from her famous cookbook and ghost tours of the property. The bar even created a signature cocktail named after her.

Not every guest experiences something supernatural. Plenty of people stay in Room 408 and have perfectly normal hotel stays. But for those who do encounter something unexplained, the stories are remarkably consistent.

The Arctic Club | Address: 700 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104

If walls could talk, the Arctic Club Hotel would have some absolutely wild stories to tell. The story begins in 1907 when two men who’d struck it rich during the Klondike Gold Rush decided they needed somewhere impressive to reminisce about their frozen adventures. E.A. Von Hasslocher, a native Alaskan explorer, and A.D. Coulter, a former Chicago newspaperman turned successful prospector, founded the Arctic Club as a gathering place for fellow gold rush veterans.

By 1916 they commissioned architect A. Warren Gould to design a headquarters where they could meet. The result was the Arctic Club!

The club featured card rooms, billiard rooms, a private barbershop, a bowling alley, multiple dining rooms, and a Northern Lights Dome Room, topped with a magnificent 60-foot diameter stained glass dome and crystal chandelier. There was even a rooftop garden where members could relax and swap stories about their adventures.

The Arctic Club’s haunted reputation largely stems from one devastating event in 1936. Marion Zioncheck, Washington’s first elected Democratic congressman, had made the building his home base and office on the fifth floor. Zioncheck was already something of a character. He’d previously been arrested for drunken antics on the White House lawn, got into fights on the House floor, and once sent President Roosevelt a bizarre gift of empty beer bottles and mothballs.

But beneath the eccentric behavior, Zioncheck was struggling with serious mental health issues. After a public breakdown that landed him briefly in a mental institution (from which he dramatically escaped by climbing a seven-foot wall), he returned to Seattle.

On a tragic day in August 1936, Zioncheck opened his fifth-floor office window and jumped to his death, landing on the pavement below, directly in front of the car his wife was in.

A suicide note found in his office revealed his disillusionment with what he saw as an unjust economic system that offered no hope to ordinary people despite all the wealth around him.

But Zioncheck isn’t the only supernatural resident of the Arctic Club Hotel. The building seems to be populated by the restless spirits of its original members. The third and fifth floors are particularly active. Guests regularly report hearing phantom conversations drifting through the halls, the disembodied voices of long-dead businessmen still discussing their frontier deals. The smell of cigars occasionally wafts through rooms.

At the Polar Bar, staff and patrons have reported hearing ghostly whispers and the sound of glasses clinking in toasts.  Phantom footsteps echo through corridors at all hours, and some guests report hearing what sounds like a party in full swing.

As for Congressman Zioncheck himself, his presence is felt most strongly on the fifth floor where his office was located. The hotel’s elevator has a disturbing habit of stopping at the fifth floor on its own, as if he is in the elevator with guests.

The most unsettling encounters involve people actually witnessing replays of Zioncheck’s final moments. Some guests and passersby on the street below have reported seeing a figure falling from the fifth-floor window, only to have the apparition vanish mid-air. Others claim to have glimpsed his mangled body on the pavement outside, lying in a pool of blood, before the vision disappears when they look again.

Today, the Arctic Club operates as a luxury boutique hotel, part of the DoubleTree chain. The famous Northern Lights Dome Room is still there in all its stained-glass glory, and the Polar Bar continues to serve as a gathering place.

Learn About Seattle’s Haunted History on a Ghost Tour

Seattle Terror Ghost Tour

If you’re going to be in Seattle for Halloween and you want to do something actually scary instead of just hitting up another crowded bar, you have to check out the Seattle Terrors ghost tour.

They run every night and last 1 hour. On the tour you will visit a bar that used to be a mortuary, and they also take you through Pike Place Market, which is one of the most haunted places in the city. Plus lots of other spooky spots. The guide will share all the haunted stories with you and maybe, if you are lucky, you might come head to head with a ghost.

Spooktacular Ghost Tour (All Ages)

If you’re looking for a fun family friendly ghost tour you can take your kids on without traumatizing them for life, look no further! The tour runs for 1.5 hours and takes you through downtown Seattle, focusing heavily on Pike Place Market, which is honestly perfect for kids because there’s so much to see there anyway. You will also have a costumed guide leading the way.

This tour focuses more on the historical mysteries and strange coincidences rather than the bloodier, more violent stories. They also offer private versions of the all-ages walk if you want to book something just for your family or a maybe a birthday party.

Explore the Most Haunted Places in Seattle

The Cadillac Hotel | Address: 168 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104

Some buildings are born from disaster, and the Cadillac Hotel is the perfect example. Rising literally from the ashes of one of Seattle’s most devastating catastrophes. This three-story Victorian building has been home to over a century’s worth of working-class folks whose struggles, hopes, and heartbreaking stories seem to have never really left.

The Great Seattle Fire of 1889 changed the city forever. In just twelve hours, flames consumed 25 city blocks, destroying most of downtown Seattle and leaving thousands homeless.

Completed in 1889 and opening its doors in 1890, the building started life as the Elliott House with 56 rooms. It was positioned perfectly in what would become Seattle’s original commercial district, designed to serve the army of workers who were rebuilding the city from the ground up.

Like many buildings that survive this long, the Cadillac Hotel went through several identity changes. From 1891 to 1904, it operated as the Derig Hotel, maintaining its focus on providing affordable housing for working men.

In 1906, new ownership brought the final transformation into the Cadillac Hotel. This wasn’t a place for tourists or business travelers. The Cadillac was the home away from home for loggers coming down from the forests, fishermen between voyages, railroad workers laying the tracks that would connect Seattle to the rest of America, and shipyard workers building the vessels that made Seattle a major port city. For 25 to 50 cents a night, a worker could get a bed and a roof over his head.

The hotel’s first floor bustled with small businesses, including a lunch counter that fed the steady stream of workers.

But the Cadillac’s working-class clientele brought with it all sorts of problems. Pioneer Square in those days was rough territory, filled with saloons, gambling dens, and brothels.

The area attracted sex workers who served the largely single, male workforce that dominated the neighborhood. These women lived harsh lives with few options and even fewer safety nets. And it’s here that the Cadillac’s most famous ghost story begins.

The most heartbreaking supernatural presence at the Cadillac Hotel involves a woman and her child whose story has become legend, though the exact details remain murky. What’s clear is that tragedy struck in one of the hotel’s upper rooms, and the emotional imprint of that night has never faded.

According to some versions of the story, she was a single mother who had already lost everything, evicted from her home and forced to seek refuge in the cheapest accommodations she could find. The Cadillac Hotel became her last resort, but even here, her situation continued to deteriorate. Whether through desperation, mental illness, or simply the crushing weight of impossible circumstances, she made the unthinkable decision to take her child’s life and then her own.

Another version tells of a woman working in the sex trade who found herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. In desperation, she attempted to perform her own abortion in her hotel room, a procedure that went horribly wrong, resulting in her death and that of her unborn child.

Regardless of which version is true, guests, and staff at the Cadillac Hotel have reported the same haunting for decades: the sound of a woman and child crying, echoing through the halls, especially during the night.

But the crying mother and child aren’t the hotel’s only ghostly residents. The Cadillac seems to be populated by the spirits of the countless working men who lived and died there over the years. Guests have reported seeing shadowy figures in the windows of the upper floors, even when those floors have been closed and empty for years.

There are reports of phantom footsteps pacing the hallways, disembodied voices, and the general sense of being watched by unseen eyes. The building’s elevator, when it was still in operation for guests, had a reputation for stopping at floors where nobody had pressed the button. Some visitors claim to have spotted the apparitions of old loggers, fishermen, and railroad workers moving through the building.

The hotel operated successfully for decades, weathering the Great Depression. But in 1970, everything changed when a tragedy took place at a different building.

An arsonist set fires at the Ozark Hotel that killed over twenty people, spurring the Seattle City Council to pass the Ozark Ordinance. This new law required all hotels and apartment buildings to install expensive sprinkler systems on their upper floors. For struggling establishments in Pioneer Square, already dealing with economic decline, the cost was prohibitive.

Like many other buildings in the neighborhood, the Cadillac Hotel was forced to permanently close its upper floors to guests. The hotel portion of the business shut down, leaving only the ground floor open for small businesses. For thirty years, the upper floors sat empty.

The abandoned upper floors became even more eerie over the decades, but they were nearly lost forever when the 6.8-magnitude Nisqually Earthquake struck on February 28, 2001. The Cadillac Hotel was one of the hardest hit buildings in Pioneer Square, suffering severe structural damage.

With demolition seeming likely due to the enormous cost of repairs, Historic Seattle stepped in with an ambitious preservation plan. After four years of complex restoration work, the building reopened in 2005 with a new mission. Housing the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and serving as a museum dedicated to Seattle’s gold rush era. It’s free to visit and very fascinating if you like history!

Despite its transformation into a respectable museum, the Cadillac Hotel hasn’t lost its supernatural residents. Visitors and staff still report unexplained sounds, and mysterious presences.

Fremont Troll | Address: North 36th Street, Troll Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Sometimes the most unsettling places are hiding in plain sight under busy bridges, where a massive concrete creature has been silently watching the neighborhood for over three decades, and according to some locals, he’s not alone down there.

The Fremont Troll wasn’t just designed to look intimidating. It was built to last and to make a statement. Weighing 13,000 pounds and constructed from steel rebar, wire, and concrete. The Volkswagen Beetle clutched in its left hand is a real car that was encased in concrete, complete with what was originally a California license plate (though that’s been stolen over the years).

The troll’s single visible eye stares out with an expression that manages to be both mischievous and menacing, while its concrete fingers seem ready to crush anything that gets too close.

But the troll’s imposing presence was intended to serve a practical purpose. The sculpture was meant to be a guardian of sorts, protecting the neighborhood’s character from unwanted changes.

What the artists probably didn’t anticipate was how quickly legends sorrounding the troll would spread. Within just a few years of its installation, residents began reporting strange activities in the area.

The most persistent story involves an unnamed ghost that supposedly haunts the underpass alongside the concrete troll. Witnesses claim to have seen garbage cans moving by themselves in the middle of the night, sliding across the pavement with no visible cause. People describe watching trash containers deliberately repositioning themselves.

The sightings are consistent enough that they’ve become part of local folklore, with some residents suggesting that the troll’s presence has attracted other supernatural entities to the area. Whether the ghost is connected to the sculpture itself or simply drawn to the spot for other reasons, nobody seems to know.

But the supernatural stories took a much darker turn in 2013 when Seattle police were called to investigate a disturbing discovery near the troll. Officers found more than a dozen freshly skinned sheep skulls arranged in what appeared to be a ritual pattern in a yard adjacent to the sculpture.

The macabre find sparked immediate speculation about occult activities, with some darkly joking that “the statue had a snack.” While authorities ultimately concluded it was likely the work of pranksters rather than anything sinister.

The bloody skulls weren’t an isolated incident. Over the years, police have been called to investigate various bizarre discoveries around the troll, including other animal remains arranged in ceremonial patterns.

From the beginning, the Fremont Troll has had to defend its territory against various forms of vandalism and unwanted attention. Almost immediately after its installation, homeless individuals who had previously used the space began retaliating against their displacement by spray-painting and damaging the sculpture.

The vandalism became so persistent that in 1991, neighbors pooled money to install powerful floodlights around the troll to deter “late-night revelers” and protect it from continued damage. But the troll seemed to develop its own form of resilience. Every time vandals tried to deface it with paint or graffiti, the city would apply a fresh layer of concrete over the damage.

Local folklore has developed its own stories for the strange events around the Fremont Troll. Some residents claim that the sculpture comes alive at night, prowling the neighborhood to protect it from threats and ward off evil spirits.

But there are darker stories too. Some visitors report feeling distinctly unwelcome in the space, as if they’re being watched by hostile eyes that see them as intruders. The sculpture has been featured in movies, inspired songs, and become such an iconic part of Seattle that the street above it was officially renamed Troll Avenue.

Pike Place Market

Most people visit Pike Place Market for the flying fish, fresh flowers, and world-famous coffee. But Seattle’s most beloved tourist destination has also become home to some of the city’s most persistent ghosts, each with their own story.

Pike Place Market’s ghost story begins before the first vendor ever set up shop. The land where the market stands today has a deep, complicated history that goes back centuries before Seattle even existed. When the market was being planned in 1907, developers built it directly on the site where one of Seattle’s most notable Native American residents had made her home.

Princess Angeline whose Duwamish name was Kikisoblu was the eldest daughter of Chief Seattle himself. In 1855, when all Duwamish people were ordered to leave their ancestral lands and move to reservations, Angeline flat-out refused. She was one of the only Native Americans allowed to remain in the growing city, and she made her living selling hand-woven baskets and doing laundry for settlers.

For decades, Angeline was a familiar sight around Seattle, instantly recognizable by her small, bent-over figure and the red cape she always wore. She lived in a simple waterfront cabin right where Pike Place Market would later be constructed. When she died in 1896 at age 85, the whole city mourned her passing with a grand funeral.

But according to local legend, Angeline never really left. Her father, Chief Seattle, had once prophesied that long after his tribe disappeared from the area, their spirits would remain.

Frank Goodwin was one of the original developers who helped bring Pike Place Market to life in 1907. By all accounts, he was a friendly man who took genuine pride in his work and loved helping people navigate the new market. Those personality traits apparently carried over into his afterlife.

For decades now, visitors to Pike Place Market have reported encounters with a tall, elderly gentleman who approaches them near the restrooms or on the main stairways, introduces himself as Frank, and asks “How can I help you?” Before people can respond or ask questions, the helpful man simply disappears into thin air.

The encounters are consistent enough that market regulars have come to expect Frank’s appearances. He seems particularly drawn to people who look lost or confused, appearing just when visitors need directions or assistance the most.

Frank wasn’t the only Goodwin family member who became permanently attached to Pike Place Market. His nephew Arthur was instrumental in the market’s early development and served as Market Director from 1918 to 1941. Arthur was known for keeping a close eye on operations from his upper-level office.

Arthur’s former office has been converted into what’s now called the Goodwin Library, but staff and visitors regularly report seeing a man’s silhouette looking down from the library window, just as Arthur used to do. Sometimes people even spot him carrying a golf club, which makes sense given his memberships at several exclusive golf clubs when he was alive.

But Arthur’s most famous haunting occurs at Ghost Alley Espresso. The shop openly claims Arthur as “our ghost,” and the former manager has become something of a beloved mascot. Customers and staff report sensing his presence, especially during busy periods when the coffee shop needs an extra hand with crowd management.

One of Pike Place Market’s more unsettling ghost stories involves a woman whose criminal activities came to a sudden, dramatic end right in the heart of the market. Known now only as the “Fat Lady Barber” (a rather unfortunate nickname that stuck over the decades), she ran a barbershop within the market.

The barber would sing to her male customers while cutting their hair, using her voice to lull them into a relaxed, drowsy state. Once they were nearly asleep in her chair, she’d rifle through their wallets and steal their money. This scam worked successfully for quite some time, until one day when karma caught up with her.

During what would be her final theft, the floor beneath the barber’s chair suddenly gave way. She plunged through to her death, ending her criminal career. But her voice apparently lived on. Market workers, especially those cleaning late at night or early in the morning, report hearing a woman singing somewhere in the building, though they can never pinpoint the source of the music.

The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic hit Seattle hard, killing over a thousand residents including many children. One of those young victims was a boy who’s become known simply as Jacob, and he’s found a perfect eternal home in Merry Tales, Pike Place Market’s toy store.

When Jacob first began haunting the toy store, his methods of getting attention were rather disruptive. He’d throw toys around, knock items off shelves, and generally create chaos as he tried to play with customers and staff. The activity was frequent enough that it was affecting business, so the shop owner came up with a creative solution.

They set up a special room just for Jacob, complete with his own bed and toys. The gesture apparently worked. Jacob’s disruptive behavior calmed down significantly. He still makes his presence known occasionally, but now it’s more playful than problematic. Cash register drawers sometimes open and close by themselves, and toys occasionally move on their own.

Princess Angeline remains Pike Place Market’s most frequently sighted ghost. Witnesses describe seeing a small, hunched woman in a red cape moving through the market, often carrying baskets just as she did in life. She appears most commonly near a rough wooden column in the lower level of the market, where the temperature reportedly drops noticeably whenever she’s present.

Individual shops throughout Pike Place Market have developed their own ghost stories over the years. At the former Bead Emporium, renovation work uncovered a basket of beads that had been hidden in a wall for decades, presumably by the ghost of a small boy who liked to hoard the colorful trinkets. Staff would arrive to find cash registers operating on their own and beads mysteriously rearranged throughout the store.

At various magic and crystal shops in the market, there have been reports of spirits inhabiting crystal balls and other mystical items. One particularly active crystal ball was passed from shop to shop after repeatedly causing unexplained phenomena wherever it was displayed. The spirit inhabiting it was known as Madame Nora.

Even the bookstores have had their share of ghostly encounters. At one shop, employees would arrive every morning to find the same book on the floor, despite repeatedly placing it back on the shelf. The mysterious activity only stopped when the book was finally destroyed, though nobody ever learned what was so special about that particular title.

Grand Army of the Republic Cemetary

The Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery might be the most overlooked haunted location in all of Seattle. But don’t let its small size fool you. This 2.3-acre plot of land holds some of the most intense paranormal activity in the city, and it’s all connected to one of the bloodiest chapters in American history.

The story of GAR Cemetery begins in 1895, thirty years after the Civil War ended, when five Seattle chapters of the Grand Army of the Republic decided their aging brothers-in-arms needed a proper place to rest.

These men had seen things that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. They’d watched friends die on blood-soaked battlefields, participated in charges where survival was pure luck, and lived through the kind of violence that leaves permanent scars on a person’s soul. Many of them carried physical wounds that would never heal, but the psychological damage ran even deeper.

When the war ended, thousands of these veterans headed west to start over, hoping that distance and new opportunities might help them forget what they’d experienced. Seattle, with its promise of prosperity and fresh beginnings, attracted its share of these broken men seeking redemption or at least peace.

The most commonly reported ghostly incidents at GAR Cemetery are the sounds of battle. Visitors consistently describe hearing shouting, crying, and what can only be described as the sounds of men in agony.

Electronic voice recordings taken in the cemetery have allegedly captured conversations between soldiers, discussions about battles that ended over 150 years ago, and desperate pleas from men who seem unaware that the war is over.

Multiple witnesses over the decades have reported seeing full-bodied apparitions of soldiers in Civil War uniforms moving through the cemetery grounds, often appearing to be engaged in military activities.

Witnesses describe seeing groups of uniformed men who appear to be on patrol, standing guard, or preparing for battle. Some reports describe soldiers who seem to be digging trenches or fortifications, while others mention figures who appear to be treating wounded comrades.

The most frequently reported apparition is a single soldier, usually described as tall and gaunt, wearing a Union Army uniform that appears authentically detailed down to the brass buttons and military insignia. This figure has been seen standing at attention near the cemetery’s central monument, as if he’s still on duty.

Among the 526 veterans buried at GAR Cemetery, one grave holds particular significance for those interested in the paranormal activity: the burial site of a soldier who survived the notorious Andersonville prison camp, where thousands of Union prisoners died in horrific conditions during the final months of the Civil War.

These men had endured months of starvation, disease, exposure, and systematic brutality that broke many of them permanently. The area around this particular grave has become a focal point for some of the most intense paranormal activity in the cemetery. Visitors report feeling an overwhelming sense of anger and desperation near this site, emotions so powerful that some people have had to leave the cemetery entirely.

Electronic equipment malfunctions consistently in this area, with cameras failing, phones dying, and temperature readings dropping dramatically without explanation. Several paranormal investigators have reported feeling physically pushed or grabbed while standing near this grave.

GAR Cemetery is open from 4 AM to 11:30 PM daily, and it’s free to visit.

Martha Washintons Home for Girls

If you’re looking for a place in Seattle that’ll give you the chills, head to Martha Washington Park down by Lake Washington. During the day, it’s just another pretty lakeside park where families hang out and people walk their dogs. But once the sun starts going down, it become much darker & sinister

Most people have no clue that this peaceful park used to be the site of the Martha Washington School for Girls. This place operated from 1921 to 1971, and it was basically where Seattle sent the girls that society had given up on. The “bad” ones, the “troubled” ones, the ones whose families couldn’t handle them anymore.

The horror of this place actually starts way before the school was even built. This whole area used to be sacred ground for the Duwamish tribe. They camped here, fished here, and most importantly, buried their dead here for generations. It was consecrated ground.

In the late 1800s, some judge bought the property and built his fancy mansion right on top of the burial ground. The construction crews just plowed right through graves, scattering bones and destroying the area.

The judge built this weird hollow staircase that led up to this massive tree on the property which would later become central to some of the most disturbing stories about the school. Even before the school opened, people reported strange things happening around that tree.

When the Seattle School District bought the property in 1920, they thought they were creating a place to help “wayward” girls get back on track. What they actually created was a horror show disguised as an institution of learning. The girls who ended up at Martha Washington had run away from abusive homes or gotten pregnant. Some just had the bad luck to be born into poverty in an era when being poor was treated like a moral failing.

Once those girls walked through the gates, they disappeared from the outside world. No one was checking on them. No one was making sure they were being treated humanely. Society had already written them off, which made them perfect victims for the predators who ran the place.

The stories that eventually leaked out were absolutely horrific. There was systematic abuse, sexual assault, and violence that went on for decades.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the school’s history centers around the groundskeeper who lived in a small hut on the property. He became a violent alcoholic who would terrorize the girls.

Multiple sources describe this guy as being completely insane, seeing things that weren’t there, hearing voices, and becoming increasingly paranoid and violent. The most persistent story involves him murdering at least one student, possibly more, and hanging her body from that same massive tree that the judge had built his weird staircase to reach. Some versions say he assaulted her first, others suggest it was part of some ritualistic killing.

After the school finally closed in 1971, things got even worse. The buildings sat empty for years, attracting vagrants and vandals. In the 1980s, a satanic cult started using the abandoned buildings for their rituals. There were animal sacrifices, blood ceremonies, and who knows what else.

The neighbors were so freaked out by what was happening that they actually petitioned the city council to tear the whole place down. In 1989, Seattle finally demolished the buildings, but as anyone who understands haunted places will tell you, destroying the structures doesn’t destroy the spiritual imprint of what happened there.

Today, Martha Washington Park looks peaceful and innocent, but people who visit after dark have had some very different stories to tell. The most commonly reported ghost is a young girl in a white nightgown who appears among the trees. She doesn’t seem threatening. It seems like she’s still looking for help that never came.

Witnesses say she’ll sometimes walk alongside groups of visitors, especially if there’s an odd number of people. She seems drawn to teenage girls who might be going through something, as if she’s trying to offer the comfort and protection. But she also apparently has no problem scaring the hell out of anyone she perceives as a threat.

People report hearing phantom footsteps, disembodied crying, and the sound of girls’ voices calling out in the distance. Electronic equipment goes haywire near the old tree, and visitors consistently report feeling watched, followed, or actively pushed away from certain areas of the park.

Tha tree is still standing, and it’s become the epicenter of paranormal activity in the park. The hollow staircase is gone, but people who get too close to the tree report feeling overwhelmed by sadness, anger, and desperation.

Martha Washington Park is open to the public year-round, but if you decide to visit, just remember, if you see a young girl in white walking through the trees at dusk, she’s not there to hurt you. She’s there because she never got the chance to grow up, never got the help she needed, never got the justice she deserved. The least we can do is listen.

Where to Stay in Seattle

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Halloween in Seattle: FAQS

What’s the Weather Typically like in October

October weather in Seattle is typically mild and increasingly wet as the month progresses. Temperatures are comfortable, with daytime highs usually ranging from 55-65°F (13-18°C) and nighttime lows generally falling between 45-50°F (7-10°C).

October marks the beginning of Seattle’s rainy season, though it’s not as crazy as many visitors expect. The city typically receives around 3-4 inches of rain throughout the month.

How many days should I plan for a Halloween trip to Seattle

Most of the events in this article are going on the entire month of October, so you could really come anytime, but in terms of how long to stay, that depends on how much you want to see and do. I would recommend coming 3 or 4 days during the weekend as that is when most of the events are happening, but you could easily come for two days and see a ton!

How far in advance should I book Halloween activities?

If you know the dates you will be visiting, I recommend booking at least 2-4 weeks in advance.

How do I get around Seattle?

Public Transportation will be the best way to get around, and luckily Seattle has an awesome public transport network compared to most West Coast cities.

Light Rail – The Link Light Rail connects Sea-Tac Airport to downtown and extends to the University District and Northgate. It’s reliable, affordable ($2.25-$3.50), and great for north-south travel.

Buses – There are extensive bus routes throughout the city. Most major neighborhoods are well-connected. Fares are $2.75-$3.25.

To ride all public transportation in the city, you can either get an ORCA card which you can tap when you enter the light rail or bus. If you are only coming for a few days, you can pay with cash , but only on the bus. You need an ORCA to ride the light rail.

Seattle is also very walkable, especially if you are staying downtown. You can walk to Capitol Hill in 20 min.

Uber and Lyft are also available if you plan on staying out late, it would be much more reliable than the buses.

Is Seattle safe?

Seattle is generally safe, but like any major U.S. city, there are areas that are sketchier than others, so always use common sense and if you feel unsafe, call a ride-share or move to a busier street.

Overall Safety:
Most tourist areas and popular neighborhoods are safe, especially during daytime hours. Violent crime against tourists is uncommon, though property crime (car break-ins, theft) is more common.

Safer Neighborhoods:

• Capitol Hill, Fremont, Ballard, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, and the University District are typically safe.
• Downtown Seattle during the day is safe
• Pike Place Market and the waterfront area are heavily visited and patrolled

Areas Requiring More Caution:

Parts of downtown (particularly 3rd Avenue and Pioneer Square) as well as The area around the King Street Station in the international district can feel uncomfortable, especially at night, these areas have a lot of homelessness and drug use.

Common Issues:

Car break-ins are the most frequent crime affecting visitors. Never leave valuables visible in your car

Safety Tips:

• Stay in well-lit, populated areas at night
• Don’t leave anything visible in parked cars
• Use rideshare or transit rather than walking alone late at night in unfamiliar areas
• Keep valuables secure and stay aware of your surroundings

Looking for more Washington State Travel Tips? Check out these articles!

12 Amazing Snoqualmie Falls Tours from Seattle
9 Festive Things to do for Christmas in Leavenworth, WA in 202
11 Epic Things to Do On Whidbey Island, Washington: A Perfect Weekend Getaway
14 Beautiful Mt Rainier Tours from Seattle
Gifts Made in Washington State: A Local Shopping Guide
17 Mouthwatering Pike Place Market Food Tours
32 Magical Things to do For Christmas in Seattle

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Travel Resources

First off, if you want to browse all my favorite travel resources, check out my Travel Resources page.

Trip Planning: I have put together the ultimate trip planning guide that will walk you through everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip.

Book your Flight: Check out Momondo! They are my go to for booking flights. Airfarewatchdog is also a favorite of mine. I get notified by email every time there is a good deal from my local airport. WayAway is also a good option. They list mistake fares so many times, you can get an international ticket for as little as $300!

Book your Transportation: Busbud is usually where I check first. They check hundreds of different transportation companies all over the world and find you the best bus deal. Flixbus is one of my favorite cheap options for Europe. The buses generally aren’t too bad, and they go to most countries around Europe. It’s the perfect option for short distances. Train travel is my favorite mode of transportation, and I always use Rail Europe to book my tickets. If you need a transfer from the airport or if you are going somewhere where transport is limited (like a festival in the middle of nowhere or even a day trip) Welcome Pickups is a great option. I have used them on multiple occasions, and you can book a ride 5 hours in advance!

Book your Accommodation: My number one is Booking. If you book enough hotels from them, you can get huge discounts and perks like free breakfast and room upgrade. On a budget and looking for cheap accommodation? Hostelworld is my preferred site to book cheap and reliable hostels. Hotwire has a fun mystery to it. It’s a great site to use for last-minute bookings. They don’t actually tell you the name of the hotel when you are browsing. You will just get the area of the city it’s in, the price, and how many stars it has. I love the surprise aspect of it! Traveling to Asia? Agoda is the best accommodation booking site! If you are traveling with a big group, Vrbo is a good option. They have a huge selection of vacation rentals. Hotellook allows you to compare hotel prices around the world, so you can find the best deal!

Book your Travel Insurance: Getting travel insurance is such a crucial part of preparing for a trip. You never know what could happen, and why take the risk? Before I travel anywhere, I always book my insurance through Visitors Coverage.

Book your Activities: Now, you have planned all the logistics, time to think about what you will do once you get to your destination! These are a few of my favorite trip planning sites. I always use Get Your Guide and Viator when I am looking for tours. If you are traveling to Asia, Klook is widely used to book activities. Go City sells tickets to top attractions for up to 65% off. Eat With allows you to book dinners or cooking classes with local families. If you enjoy self-guided walking tours, We Go Trip has audio guides you can download. Big Bus Tours offers open-top sightseeing tours.

Store Your Luggage: Do you have a long layover or a late flight and need to store your luggage? Radical Storage has got you covered.

Get an eSim: Airlalo has been an amazing way for me to stay connected on the road. They have eSims in 200 countries and set up is super easy.